How to Write a Mission Trip Donation Letter

Each year, hundreds of people embark on mission trips to places in need around the world. There is no shortage of worthwhile causes across the globe that need assistance from missionaries who are willing and able to lend a hand, but funding is always a challenge and mission trips can be a very costly enterprise. It’s important for potential mission trip goers to enlist the help of family, friends, and members of their church congregation for support—both financial and otherwise—before committing to raise funds for a mission trip. One of the most important parts of a mission trip fundraising campaign can be the mission trip donation letter.

For mission trippers, ‘casting a wide net’ when approaching people about donations can make or break their chances to be able to take the trip, so a mission trip donation letter can be a great way to reach out to a large network of contacts. Below is a sample fundraising letter that can be used as a guideline when crafting a mission trip donation letter. Before sitting down to make your case in a letter, however, keep several things in mind: Make your letter personal, be polite, make your case clear, and ask for what you need. Following these guidelines and creating your own version of the sample fundraising letter below will help you raise funds in no time!

Dear {use first name},

I would like to ask for your prayers and support as I embark on a mission to Uganda to help children in a village that are in dire need. Can you imagine being an elementary school aged child and losing both of your parents because of poverty and disease? What about not having shoes, vaccinations, food on the table, or a warm place to sleep? It’s hard for us to imagine this, but unfortunately this is a regular and heartbreaking occurrence in places like the village in Uganda that I’m referring to. As tragic as these children’s’ circumstances are, I believe that God has presented me with an opportunity to help. Next May, I will be traveling with St. John Catholic Church on a mission trip to Uganda and we hope to accomplish these goals:

Make improvements to the village school

Help give children proper vaccinations and health check-ups

Make improvements to the homes of the local villagers

Offer comfort and friendship to the children left behind by disease

To make this happen, I need to raise $3500 to take this trip to Uganda. I would like to ask for your donations to help me make this important trip. For all of my sponsors, I will be returning with a diary of stories and photos about the people that I meet and help so that they can see God’s work in action. Thank you for your prayers, donations, and support. Please mail any donations in the enclosed envelopes. God Bless You,